DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Program Description

The PhD in Educational Psychology is designed for individuals who wish to pursue advanced scholarship and professional practice in a specific area within the various areas of study and practice within educational psychology. In particular, the program is designed to develop knowledge and skills for advanced scholarship and professional practice that applies psychological approaches, theories, and methodologies to specific educational concerns. Students may choose to have a concentration in either (a) Learning and Development in Schools, or (b) Quantitative Methods.

Objectives

The PhD in Educational Psychology in intended for psychology students and professionals interested in psychological measurement in schools, learning and development in schools, and in educational programs/interventions for special populations such as children with special learning needs, the gifted, indigenous groups, adult learners, the elderly, among others.

The curriculum provides students with a strong theoretical base for a more solid foundation for the contemporary foci of educational psychology, and research-oriented seminars to allow the students to develop strong and updated theoretical understanding and research capacities in their specific areas of interest. There will be a strong research focus in the program, where graduate students will be encouraged to actively involve themselves in research projects during their graduate studies, with the view of presenting their research in conferences and publishing these in professional journals in the field of educational psychology.

Graduates of the PhD program will be in a good position to undertake research on different types of psychology related problems in the school setting, using a wide range of research methods used in the field of educational psychology. Graduates of the PhD programs will also be qualified to do consultancy work in schools in their specific areas of concentration (e.g., as curriculum and learning specialists, teacher development specialists, learning program development consultants, research and evaluation consultants in specific programs, etc.).

Admission Requirements

1. Master’s degree in Psychology or Education or its equivalent, with 12 units of graduate level psychology courses relevant to broad field of educational psychology. Students who do not have these 12 units will be required to take prerequisite courses.
2. An overall grade of 90, 3.0 or B+ in the master’s program.
3. Admissions test and personal interview by the department chairperson and/or members of the Admissions Committee.
4. Clear statement of professional plans and how the PhD in Educational Psychology fits these plans.
5. Evidence of professional promise (persona, interpersonal and the ability to communicate in English and/or Filipino effectively) for embarking on a an active research career in the area of psychology and education. Such evidence may be gathered from the student’s application for admission, from the results of the admission tests and/or from the interview with the chairperson and members of the Admissions Committee.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Foundations courses 12 units
• Basic courses 12 units
• Core courses 12 units
• Concentration courses 6 units
• Concentration cognates 6 units
• Dissertation 12 units
• Qualifying exam (one area) 0 units
• Comprehensive exam (two areas) 0 units
TOTAL 60 units

Program Curriculum

FOUNDATIONAL COURSES (12 units)

CLG 201M Psychological Foundations of Counseling and Educational Psychology 1
Survey and critical analysis of relevant historical theories and contemporary theories and research on personality psychology.

CLG 203M Psychological Foundations of Counseling and Educational Psychology 3
Survey and critical analysis of relevant historical theories and contemporary theories and research on developmental psychology, with emphasis on child and adolescent development.

CLG 204M Psychological Foundations of Counseling and Educational Psychology 4
Survey and critical analysis of relevant historical theories and contemporary theories and research on social psychology, with emphasis on group and interpersonal processes, social cognition, and the cultural dimensions of behavior.

CLG 205M Psychological Foundations of Counseling and Educational Psychology 5
Survey and critical analysis of relevant historical theories and contemporary theories and research on cognitive psychology, with emphasis on theory and research that relates to human learning.

BASIC COURSES (12 units)

Any two of the following: CPS531D to CPS535D (6 units)

CPS 531D Advanced Seminar on Biological Basis of Behavior (3 units)
Seminar course on current research and theory on the biological, neurological, and evolutionary basis of human behavior. Particular focus will be given to topics that are relevant to the study of counseling, clinical and educational psychology.

CPS 532D Advanced Seminar on Cognitive-Affective Basis of Behavior (3 units)
Seminar course on current research and theory on the cognitive and affective basis of human behavior. Particular focus will be given to topics that are relevant to the study of counseling, clinical and educational psychology.

CPS 533D Advanced Seminar on Social and Cultural Bases of Behavior (3 units)
Seminar course on current research and theory, social psychology, social cognition, cross-cultural psychology, and cultural psychology. Particular focus will be given to topics that are relevant to the study of counseling, clinical, and educational psychology.

CPS 534D Advanced Seminar on Developmental Basis of Behavior (3 units)
Seminar course on current research and theory in developmental psychology across the lifespan. Particular focus will be given to topics that are relevant to the study of counseling, clinical and educational psychology.

CPS 535D Philosophical and Theoretical Foundation of Modern Psychology (*for ID#08 and below only)
This course covers the psychological orientations of the early 19th century to the middle of the 20th century and their philosophical roots. It deals with the major theoretical and philosophical positions, paradigms, theories, methods of inquiry and approaches to understanding human behavior. The goal of the course is to facilitate the student’s discovery and understanding of the shifting paradigms to which scientific and psychological theories were founded and based. Furthermore, the course also intends to increase the awareness of the students on the different worldviews governing their own perspectives and appreciate the foundations of other people’s viewpoints.

CPS 510P Advanced Statistics
This is a 3-unit course for doctoral degree students of Counseling and Educational Psychology. It extends the students’ knowledge beyond the basic statistics at the master’s level. It includes topics on multivariate ANOVA, multiple regression, path analysis, cluster analysis and other multivariate analysis with manifest and latent variables.

CPS 525P Research Methods I
This course is the entry-level research methods course for students in the PhD Counseling Psychology and PhD Educational Psychology programs. The prerequisite course is CPS510D (Advanced Statistics) and the students are also expected to have completed a masters level course on methods of research. Thus, students are expected to be knowledgeable about the basic research designs (experimental and descriptive methods) in research and about multivariate procedures.

CPS 527P Research Methods II
This course provides the students with the rudiments necessary in designing, implementing, writing and disseminating research outputs in the field of counseling psychology.

CORE COURSES (12 units)

EPS 712D Human Development and Schooling
Current Theories and research on cognitive development, linguistic development, personal, social and emotional development that provide insights into how educational experiences can be designed to promote student development in schools. Particular emphasis will be given on contemporary theories and research that emphasize the socio-cultural aspects of human development.

EPS 713D Cognition, Motivation, and Instruction
Current theories and research on the nature and interaction of cognitive and motivational processes in student learning, on how these are affected by instructional processes, and on how instructional systems can be designed in ways that facilitate the effective cognitive and motivational processes. Emphasis will be given on socio-cultural aspects of cognition and motivation.

EPS 714D Psychology of Individual Differences
A critical survey of current theories and research on psychological theories of intelligence, cognitive styles, personality, motivation, values, and other individual different variables relevant to the educational processes.

EPS 715D Psychological Assessment in Schools
Current theory, approaches, and research on the assessment of learning in schools, the influence of assessment processes on student learning, and contemporary issues related to assessment of student learning.

CONCENTRATION

Concentration on Learning and Development in Schools (12 units)

EPS716D Social and Cultural Aspects of Learning
Advanced seminar on the various social and cultural dimensions of student learning and achievement in schools. The course will address issues of how social and cultural theories of learning and instruction can be applied to research on learning and achievement of Filipino students and on improving teaching, curriculum, and other aspects of the educational system.

CPS622P Psychology of Motivation
Study of the principles, dynamics of motivation and their application to the more complex aspects of learning.

EPS717D Directed Readings in Educational Psychology
The course is an advanced seminar on current research in educational psychology, with emphasis on theoretical and practical issues that apply to Philippine and Asian educational contexts. The course shall focus on a particular topic within the areas of human learning and development, psychological and/or educational measurement. Students are expected to complete an empirical research project as a part of the course.

EPS718D Directed Research in Educational Psychology
A course that will allow students to conceptualize and undertake a small-scale research project on a selected topic in the field of educational psychology.

LIN805P Seminar on Research in Psycholinguistics

LIN632P Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

SCE535P Philosophical and Psychological Theories of Learning and Teaching

EDM592P Specialized Curriculum Studies

EDM593P Design and Development of Alternative Delivery Systems

Concentration on Quantitative Methods (12 units)

CPS722P Scaling Theory
Covers concepts, principles, and methods in scaling. Exposes students to classroom and laboratory activities on the different scaling methods (e.g., Likert, Thurston, Guttman, Metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling procedures are also introduced.

CPS723P Advanced Psychometric Theory
This course compares both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) on test construction. In CTT, the estimates of item difficulty, item discrimination, and norm are discussed. In Item Response Theory overview of different mathematical models are presented with concentration on the Rasch model (one parameter logistic model) and its application in cognitive and noncognitive measures.

CPS724P Evaluation I
This course deals with the study of the different models and approaches for evaluating programs. It emphasizes both the quantitative and qualitative approaches to program evaluation. It also deals with the study of the different instruments/tools associated with the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluation.

CPS725P Evaluation II
This course provides the student with a comprehensive hands-on experience in the practice of evaluation in shaping educational policy.

CPS732P Performance Assessment
Comprises a study of performance assessment – its nature, systems, and strategies – as applied in educational and other settings. Includes monitoring of performance assessment systems. Explores technical issues of interpretation and application.

PhDEPQ1 (Qualifying exam); PhDEPW1 & PhdEPW2 (Comprehensive exam) Dissertation Writing 1 & 2
An additional of six (6) units of Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 1&2 will be required for applicants with a low score in the essay part of the entrance examination. Students with weak background in masters-level research and statistics may be required to take CPS500M (Statistics) and CPS521M (Methods of Research)